Address plate



Patented Nov. 6, 1934 PATENT ofFFI-:CE

f 1,979,261 ADDRESS PLATE `Waiter '1'. Gollwitzer, cleveland, ohio, assignmto Addressograph Company, Wilmington; Del., a corporation of Delaware Application May 23, 1932, serial No. 612,956

' 10 Claims.

This invention relates to an addressplate comprising aholder having mounted thereon a print-V ing member; frequently, also, an index card. The holder isa sheet-'metal stamped-upplate. The

.bfjprinting memberv may comprise one or more embossedstrips held. `on theplate by overhanging portions thereof. The indexcard is preferably a strip oficardboard also held on the plate by overhanging portions `of the plate.

Theobject ofthe invention is to so arrange the overhanging lips of the plate, which position the printingmember or card or both, in such manner `that they Will not be distortedby the pressure of the printing platen, such distortion l; jinterfering-with1th`e ready removal of the printingmember or card; as the case may be.`

vThe invention, whichcomprises the means for accomplishing the above object, may be best understood `from the following detailed descrip- 20.` ;-tion of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawing.

'Innthe :drawing:

, Fig.\1 is an plan orrface view of an address plateihavingga printing member and an index 2.5 rfjzcardfeach fheld by my improved means;`

` vFig.y 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of such address plate.

Fig'.` 3 a transverse, section through the addressgplate,` as, indicated i by thee line 3,-3 on Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the action of a roller platen on the holding lips of theplate.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of a portion of the plate on a larger scale, illustrating the printing memv ber as being removed or inserted.

As indicated particularly in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the address plate comprises a sheet metal member 10 ordinarily called the holder; a printing ;member 20 thereon, and an index card 30. The

'printing member 20 is shown as a strip of metal embossed with printing characters 21. It is held on the plate by the curled-over lower edge 11 of the plate, and suitable lips 12 cut out from the 45, plate and overhanging the printing member, and suitable end stops 13. The card 30 is shown as held by the curled-over upper edge 14 of the holder, and lips 15 cut out from the body of the holder and overlapping the card, as well as by a suitable corner pocket 16 and a stop 17 pressed up from the plate 10.

In use, the printing characters on the plate 20 are suitably inked, as by an overlying inking ribbon, and the paper to be printed is pressed `down on such ribbon by a suitable platen which (cl. 10i-369) may, for instance, be an elastic roller '40 rolled over the paper. It has been found, in practice, that such roller is likely to strike the lips 12 or thelips 15, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and the down- Ward pressure on the roller sometimes bends such lips downwardly. The lips, having been originally formed by upward distortion of the plate, have little resilience, and hence, if pressed downwardly, remain in their downward position, binding the card or the plate, interfering with the ready removal of it when it is desired-to change the same. i

I have discovered that I can avoid `the troublesome binding referred to by forming, at each lip, a pair of slits through the body ofthe plate lead-A ing away from the ends of the lip, the result being that the lip is carried by a portion of the plate forming a tongue in the plane of the plate. As this tongue is ynot distorted in manufacture, it retains the resilient character of the metal, and the result is that, when the platen presses on the lip, the lip andthe supporting portion of the tongue simply spring down, and, as soon as the pressure is relieved, are returned to position. In the case of the card, this downward movement of the lip is permitted by reason of the softness ofthe card; and in the case of the plate, the serpentine `edge thereof may be somewhat bent, but, being at the' extreme edge, it is readily restored. A

Thedrawng illustrates, at 18, the slits for the lips 12; and at19, the slits for the lips 15. These slitsmerge at their active ends with the cut through the plate from which the end of the offset lip was formed. The slits may accordingly be readily made at the time the lips are cut from the blank and before the deformation of the lips takes place, the lips being thereafter deformed by stamping in the usual manner.

It will be noticed, in the case of card-holding lips 15, that the offset region of these lips is convexed toward the card, and further is at an incline toward the entrance end of the card pocket. This assists in enabling a card having straight edges to be readily shoved into place, as the rounded and inclined offset portion of the lips acts as a cam to engage the corner of the card and shove it against the turned-over edge 14 of the plate. This feature, therefore, reduces the time required in inserting the card. A similar feature might be employed with the plate-holding lips, but is not necessary where the metal printing plate has the escalloped edge shown, as that assists in rectifying the position of the plate when it is hastily inserted.

this invention, connes its printing member and index card as effectively as heretofore, but has the further advantages above set out. Accordingly, the invention not o-nly increases the facility of manipulation of the address plate, by allowing the more ready change of printing members and cards, but also reduces the number of plates which have to be discarded by reason of undue displacement of their lips.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a plate, a tongue formed out of thebody of the plate and lying in the plane of the plate, said tongue being connected at one end` with the plate and adjacent its other end having a raised lip connected with the body of the tongue by an offset portion which is convex on the side toward the lip.

2. In an address plate, the combination of a carrying plate, a plate-like member adapted to be mounted thereon, a tongue formed out of the body of the plate and having a raised lip connected with the tongue by an offset portion which is convex toward the plate-like member.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a plate, a tongue formed out of the body ofthe plate and having a raised lip connected with the body of the tongue by an offset portion which is inclined in one direction.

4. In an address plate, the combination of a carrying plate having a pocket in which a card may be mounted, one side of said pocket being defined by tonguescut out of the body of the plate and having offset portions terminating in lips raised above the plane of the plate, and adapted to stand over the card, the oiset connection between the lip and tongue being inclined away from the card in a direction toward the entrance end of the pocket.

5. An address plate, comprising a holder plate, an index card mounted thereon, retaining means engaging marginal portions of the index card, said means including lips stamped up from the body of the plate and overhanging the card, and a pair of slits through the plate at opposite ends of each lip leading away .from the lip to provide a spring tongue carrying the lip, the connecting portion between each lip and its tongue diverging from the abutting edge of the card.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of'a frame, a printing member and an index member mounted on the frame with a space between them, the frame having raised re-i taining lips in such space and adapted to extend over one of said members, said lips being resiliently carried by the frame by reason of being offset portions of tongues formed out of the body of the frame and lying in the plane of the frame, such resilient tongues carrying the sole retaining lips for the member theyengage in the region on that side of the printing member directly opposite the printing characters, whereby when the printing platen rolls beyond the printing characters, it will not encounter rigid projections of the frame.

'7. The combination of an address plate frame, a printing plate mounted on the frame, an index card mounted on the frame, the frame having retaining lips to engage that edge of the card which is adjacent the printing plate, said lips being resiliently carried by the plate by reason of being offset portions of tongues formed out of the body of the plate and lying in the plane of the plate, such resiliently mounted tongues forming the sole card-engaging projections in the region directly opposite the printing characters on the plate, whereby when the printing platen rolls beyond the plate characters it will not encounter rigid card-holding projections.

8. A device of the character described comprising a carrying-plate, and araised lip formed outl of the body oftheplate andA lying substantially parallel with it a short distance above the upper surface of the plate, the lip being connected with the rest of the plate by a portion which is convex on the side toward the lip.

9. A device of the character described compris- 10. A device of the character described comprising a carrying-plate having a card pocket deiined at the upper edge by a' curled over edge of the sov plate and at the lower edge by a row of raised lips formed out of the body of the plate and each lying a short distance above the upper surface of the plate, the lips being connected with the rest v of the plate by portions which are convex on the side toward the lip and are inclined away from the card pocket in the direction toward the entrance end thereof. i

WALTER T. c'roLLWrrzEiR.,v 

